Alana and Trixie stood in front of each other, confident smirks on each of their faces.

"You're not winning this," Trixie warned, although her voice wasn't completely confident.

"We'll see," Alana laughed, glancing down at Ash, who winked and nodded at her.

Eli stood beside the two, watching apprehensively.

"Alright, whenever you two are ready," he said. Alana waited for Trixie to nod. Then:

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"

Alana held out her hand flat for paper, while Trixie held out two fingers for scissors.

Seeing her defeat, Alana groaned and dramatically collapsed on the ground, but there was a smile on her face.

"Go on without me," she said, and Trixie stuck out her tongue. Alana laughed and shifted over to the edge of the railroad tracks the Shane Gang was standing on. "Alright, you win fair and square, Trix. I'll listen for the train. You four go get your dramatic poses ready."

The gang had narrowed down which track Blakk's new engine would be running on, but they hadn't gotten an exact time. So while their plan was to sit up on some rocks that Kord's Rammstone knocked free from the cave walls around them, they still needed someone to wait down on the tracks and listen for when the train was actually approaching- the tunnel they were in was too narrow and twisty for them to risk a surprise. And that person was the loser of their rock paper scissors tournament.

"Alas, the art of rock paper scissors is one that few can truly master," Pronto noted as he climbed up the small mound of boulders.

"Uh, there's no much art to it, Pronto," Kord argued. "It's all luck."

"Yeah!" Alana called up as she adjusted so her ear was resting on top of one of the metal bars lining the train tracks.

"Then why is Pronto so incredibly talented at it?" the molenoid challenged, and nobody could offer up a decent answer. Whenever they played, Pronto always won.

From there, Pronto launched into a speech about the hundreds- no, no, thousands- of rock paper scissors matches he had won. Alana met Ash's gaze and rolled her eyes, a faint smile on her face.

She was excited to be back with the gang, excited to be getting back into action against Doctor Blakk. She was still having nightmares about the West that left her short of breath when her eyes opened, but now that she was living with the gang again, she felt less alone.

Every few minutes she would get bored and switch sides, resting her head against the other side of the track. Finally, after what seemed like hours (but was probably just fifteen minutes of hearing Pronto ramble about his talents), she heard a faint rumble.

Alana held her hand up, silencing the game as she held her breath for a moment, waiting to hear it again.

"Yep. It's on its way," she confirmed, getting to her feet and stretching out her back. "Time to get ready."

Not wanting to get stuck still trying to climb the pile when the train was approaching, Alana stood at the base of the rocks, her Arachnet loaded in her blaster in case she had to move. Her heart pounded, but it was from excitement, not fear. She was getting back to doing what she loved.

A few moments later, the train came into view. It was more sleek and definitely faster than the other Slugterran Express models, and Kord whistled as it approached. Eli just smiled, staring at the engine determinedly.

"I wish I could see the look on Blakk's face when he realizes we're alive," he said. Alana watched apprehensively as the engine approached, and began to notice that the hiss of the brakes the gang had been waiting for wasn't coming.

"Hey, Eli? I don't think his stopping," Alana called up. Eli's smile disappeared, and Alana narrowed her eyes, watching carefully as the train approached. "I think it's actually speeding up."

"So, ah, how do we stop this mighty, mighty train?" Pronto asked, looking up at Eli. The Shane's face paled.

"Uh, you know? That's a good question," he said, taking a hesitant step back as the train rumbled towards them. "Move!"

Alana fired her Arachnet at the ceiling, letting herself be yanked up to the tunnel's ceiling by the slug's web. The rest of the Shane Gang dove to either side of the tracks just before the train cut through the mound of boulders, never slowing down.

"So, Plan B?" Eli coughed as he got to his feet, waving away dust.

"We have a Plan B?" Kord asked. Eli nodded, jumping up on Lucky, who was standing at the tunnel wall with the other Mechas.

"Yep. Mount up and slug it out!" the Shane called as he revved his Mecha's engine. Alana dropped down from the ceiling, landing on Midnight and following after Eli.

"Yeah, that probably should've just been Plan A," Kord noted as the gang sped after the train. Alana laughed, enjoying the wind on her face.

"Hey, this is nice though. I missed high-speed chases," she said as the gang closed the distance between them and the train. Trixie pointed upwards at the top of the train, where a few ghoulslingers had noticed them and were loading their blasters.

"Did you miss the high speed duels?" she asked, glancing over at Alana.

"You bet," Alana said with a smirk, firing her Rammstone to knock aside a Hop Jack. She took a deep breath as the ghoulslingers opened fire all around the gang, causing explosions left and right. She forced herself to focus on the light energy inside and around her, blocking out the chills of dark energy that were flying all around her.

"We cannot keep up such speed for long!" Pronto cried out as the gang was only met with more ghouls to replace each one they blocked. Alana looked to the side, at the train wheels spinning down the tracks.

"Think we can derail it?" she called over to Eli, who was on the other side of the tracks. He shrugged.

"Worth a shot. Plan C," he called. He and Kord loaded Rammstones and fired at the right side of the train.

It didn't even budge.

"It did not even make a dent!" Pronto cried out in frustration. Alana loaded her Frostcrawler, Kelvin, and Trixie did the same.

"We'll try going for the wheels!" Alana called out over the rush of the wind. Eli gave her a thumbs-up.

"Plan D!" he responded. Alana rolled her eyes, exchanging a glance with Trixie as the two split up, each taking one side of the train, still dodging ghouls. They fired their Frostcrawlers at the wheels of the train, but just before they made contact, metal panels swung down, covering the wheels and taking the hits.

"Why is everything he makes so cool?" Kord wondered aloud as Alana and Trixie fell back. Alana rode alongside Eli.

"We're not getting the wheels," she said, firing an Armashelt to knock a Thrasher out of the air.

"I'm starting to think derailing might not be an option here," Eli said, dodging a Nightgeist. "Plan E-"

A chill suddenly ran down Alana's spine. She looked up and saw two more slingers climb to the roof of the train, and her grip tightened on Midnight's handles.

"Eli, look out!" she yelled as a Greneater sped towards the Shane. Eli fired a Hop Rock and the slug intercepted, causing an explosion in mid air. The smoke cleared, and Alana glared up at Doctor Blakk, then at Dana, who stood at his side.

"I was sure you'd perish when you fell into the Great Abyss," Blakk said, raising his blaster. "Once again, you have disappointed me."

He, Dana, and the remaining ghoulslingers opened fire. Eli wove around on Lucky, dodging ghouls as they crashed into the ground around him.

"That's what makes my job so much fun," he called up to Blakk, who smirked and holstered his blaster.

"My job has its perks as well," he said, stepping back as a panel opened up on the train roof. Alana gasped and fell back a bit before she could even see what it was. She remembered the feeling.

"Eli, it's the gattler," she called, and Eli looked up as the gattler rose up from the train. Blakk scowled as he swung it around, glancing down at Alana.

"Continuing to ruin my fun with your energy tricks," he sneered. "No matter- they won't bother me for much longer."

With that, he opened fire, shooting ghoul after ghoul at Alana and Eli. Alana winced as a headache formed- it was difficult to block out so much dark energy coming at her so fast- but she was able to follow Eli's lead and dodge the shots before falling back to the rear of the train.

"How does he have so many ghouls? Wasn't he just rationing them?" Trixie asked as the gang regrouped.

"Maybe he was saving them for this?" Kord suggested.

"But he had no way of knowing we would be here!" Pronto argued.

"He could've found a new way to make them," Eli noted, and Alana's heart sank as she looked up at Dana.

"I sure hope not," she said as she fired Ash at two Harmashelts flying toward the gang. The Infurnus released a wave of fire that Alana could feel from the ground, reverting the ghouls back to protoform and blasting back the ghoulslingers, buying the gang a few moments.

"We can't stop the train from back here. Trixie, Kord, Pronto, fan out!" Eli said, loading his blaster and looking at Alana. "You good for Plan F?"

"You bet," she responded with a nod, catching Ash as he returned to protoform and landed in her left hand.

Trixie, Kord, and Pronto split up, riding along the sides of the train and distracting the two ghoulslingers close to the edge while Eli and Alana rode forward. Once they were close enough to the back of the car, the two jumped from their Mechas to the ladders on the end of the car.

"You sure you'll be good with the gattler up there?" he checked as they climbed up to the roof of the train. Alana nodded.

"It'll take more than a headache to stop me today. I'm pumped to be back in action," she said with a smile as the two reached the top of the train. The ghoulslingers were so focused on the rest of the gang, they didn't notice Eli or Alana until they stood up.

"Wanna get off here? Okay!" Eli exclaimed as he kicked one of the ghoulslingers' feet out from under him, sending him toppling off the train. The second slinger raised his blaster but Alana sped forward, focusing on drawing up some of the light energy from inside her for strength.

The ghoulslinger wheeled around the aim at her instead, but he was too late. She smirked and punched him in the gut, her vision temporarily going blue, and he flew off the train to the ground below.

"Nice!" Eli remarked.

"Thanks," Alana said, shaking out her hand. The energy may give her strength, but it didn't turn her hand into iron.

"Oh no," Eli groaned, and Alana looked up and her shoulders sagged. Blakk swung the gattler around and aimed down the train cars, flanked by Dana and another ghoulslinger. He began firing again, Grimmstones, Harmashelts, and Hop Jacks flying down the train at Eli and Alana.

Alana jumped down and landed on one of the ledges on the side of the train, pressing herself up against the wall and out of the line of fire. Eli flipped backwards off the end of the car, reaching out and grabbing one of the ladders at the last second. Trixie gasped, watching Eli with wide eyes and not relaxing until he steadied himself and got a good grip on the ladder.

Suddenly, the train shuddered, and it took a right at a fork in the tracks, curving off into a new cavern. Alana frowned, trying to imagine a map and figure out where the train was headed.

"Where are we going?" Eli called down to Trixie. She pulled up a holoscreen on her Mecha and narrowed her eyes.

"The Beast Forge," she announced.

"If Blakk destroys the Forge..." Eli said, his eyes widening.

"It sure won't be making any Mechas anytime soon," Kord continued.

"Which means Slugterra will be even more dependent on the Slugterran Express," Trixie said.

"And Blakk," Alana finished grimly.

"Yeah. And... I got nothing," Pronto finished.

"Beast Forge in range in 500 meters!" a voice announced over the train's speakers.

"We've gotta stop this train before it gets to the Forge," Eli said. "Trixie, call Grendel, just as a precaution."

Trixie nodded and pulled up a call with the head engineer, urging him to evacuate.

"450 meters!"

"We're out of time and we haven't made a dent in this thing," Kord said. Alana sighed and glanced at Eli.

"We need to do something so the people can at least evacuate," she said. Eli thought for a moment. Then he sighed and held up two slug tubes.

"What we need is the double barrel. I need to try a fusion shot," he said. Alana bit her lip- she had seen the double barrel device Eli and Kord had worked on, and it seemed like it would work, but she felt like there was more to fusion shots than met the eye.

"We can't, we haven't tested it yet!" Kord argued.

"200 meters!"

"Then consider this a test," Eli said. Burpy, Beeker (his Aquabeek), and the Enigmo jumped up on Eli's shoulder. "You guys ready?"

The Enigmo began to try to wiggle his way into one of the slug tubes. Eli gently pulled it away.

"Sorry, Enigmo, don't think your blurry vision's gonna help right now," he said, letting Beeker and Burpy jump into the two slug tubes.

"Eli, wait," Alana said suddenly. Something felt wrong, but she didn't know what. "I don't think-"

"In range!" the speaker announced as the train rolled to a stop.

"We need to try," Eli insisted, leaping up to the roof of the train and raising his voice. "Blakk! This is your last chance to give up."

Blakk scowled and turned to face Eli.

"You still think you can stop me?" he asked. Eli smirked.

"No. I know I can stop you. Because I have this."

Eli raised his blaster. The top and bottom opened up, allowing room for the mod he clicked into place. Two slug tubes put together, held together by a core powered by a Vitalis crystal.

"What?!" Blakk exclaimed, taking a step back. Even Dana's smirk wavered when she saw the double barrel blaster.

Alana gritted her teeth and began to pull herself up onto the roof of the train to stop Eli. It just felt wrong. But before she could get there, he fired the Infurnus and the Aquabeek.

The slugs transformed and released a short burst of fire and water, harmless to Blakk, but causing all sorts of trouble.

The fusion released a shockwave that Alana felt in every bone in her body. She gasped as she felt nearly every bit of energy drained from her body. She could see Dana stumble for a moment on the roof of the train, but she quickly recovered, while Alana didn't.

Every muscle in Alana's body seemed to shut off at once. She had a head rush, and for a moment, her world spun. She felt herself stumble back and fall through the air.

"Kord!" Pronto yelled, and Alana felt something stop her fall before she hit the ground.

"I gotcha," Kord said as he set her on the ground. Alana blinked spots from her eyes, and her vision cleared, but she still couldn't move. She felt absolutely exhausted, like she had just run a marathon.

"What happened?" Kord yelled out. Alana watched as Eli jumped down from the train.

"I don't know. Not what I hoped. What happened down here?"

"Alana fell, and look. Our slugs are shorted out," Trixie said, rushing over to Eli, holding her Tormato in her hand. The slug was laying down and whimpering. Eli looked down at Alana worriedly.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Alana took a deep breath.

"Drained," she managed. "Really drained. That fusion... it wasn't right."

"Whatever wave the slugs released, it drained all the slug energy around here," Trixie said, kneeling down next to Alana and helping her slowly sit up. She held her head, willing herself to snap out of her daze, but she couldn't seem to do anything to change it.

"Too bad it didn't have the same effect on my ghouls," Blakk said from the top of the train. The Shane Gang all turned and saw him standing with the gattler pointed at them. Eli and Trixie moved in front of Alana, knowing she wouldn't be able to help in a fight. But Blakk just scoffed and rotated the gattler around, pointing it at the Beast Forge and opening fire.

It was absolute carnage. Ghoul after ghoul hit the forge, breaking through walls and shattering windows. People- mostly cave trolls- were sprinting away, crying out in fear and dodging falling debris. The tall pillar that stood at the front of the mighty forge crumbled, raining down dirt and glass. The mass of dark energy the rapid ghoulfire released made Alana wish she still had Mage with her.

And Blakk laughed throughout the whole thing.

Finally, he must have decided enough was enough. Tall pillars of smoke rose up from the rubble of the Beast Forge. With one final laugh, he swiveled the gattler over to the Shane Gang, who were all wide-eyed and open-mouthed at his relentless attack. All Alana could manage to think was, Grendel- did Grendel have time to get everyone out?

"It seems what you think gives you strength is also your weakness," Blakk said, looking down at Alana smugly. Dana stood by his side, arms crossed and a triumphant smile on her face.

"I do hope you enjoyed that show," Blakk said, turning to the rest of the Shane Gang. "Because it's the last thing you'll ever-"

"SHADOW CLAN!"

Alana gasped and watched as bursts of black and green appeared on the roof of the train. Terrified Blakk Industries workers cried out as the Shadow Clan let out hisses and growls, picking the ghoulslingers up by their collars and throwing them to the ground. Alana's own energy tuned in with the Shadow Clan's, and she gasped as three of them surrounded Dana.

"Your state has gone worse, you ignored our warnings!" one of them growled. Dana scowled, eyeing the creatures around her.

"I've told you before, I don't care about your warnings!" she yelled, the only one on the train who seemed more angry than frightened. Even Blakk seemed terrified as Shadow Clan surrounded him, keeping him away from his gattler.

Kord hoisted Alana up in his arms as the Shane Gang rushed for cover, but halted when a group of Shadow Clan appeared in front of Eli. Two wrapped their tails around his arms, holding him aloft and hissing angrily. Two more appeared in front of Kord and Alana.

"Your energy has been drained. You must come with us," one said. Alana looked up at Eli, who wasn't struggling, but looked worried.

"What... what about him?" she asked, nodding toward Eli as Kord took a hesitant step back.

"We must speak with him," the other Shadow Clan answered grimly.

Alana looked up at Kord.

"It's okay. Let them take me," she said. The cave troll's eyes widened.

"What? No way!" he protested.

"I'll be okay," she insisted. "Besides, someone's gotta look after Eli."

Kord hesitated, but nodded, handing her over to the Shadow Clan. They wrapped their tails around her arms, like Eli, but Alana could still barely move, so she just hung limply between them. One of the Shadow Clan nodded at Kord before meeting up with the two who had Eli.

"Don't worry! We'll be okay!" Eli called out to the rest of the gang as the Shadow Clan began to run off. "Stay with Blakk!"

He turned back to Alana, looking at her with concern.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Alana gave him a small smile.

"Sure thing, doing great. Just drained of all my energy. Thanks for that one, by the way," she said. Eli laughed nervously.

"Yeah, sorry about that. If it makes you feel any better,  I have a feeling this," he said, nodding to the Shadow Clan holding him, "is about that."

The Shadow Clan ran in silence. Once they decided they were far away enough from the ruins of the Beast Forge, one of them holding Alana looked up at her.

"We will shadow travel the rest of the way to the Dark Periphery," he warned. Alana nodded and glanced over at Eli.

"Shadow travel," was all she managed to say before there was a flash of black and green before the world ran cold. Alana screwed her eyes shut and tried to ignore the nauseating feeling of shadow travel before the world rematerialized around her.

When she opened her eyes, they were in the Dark Periphery. A black and green jungle surrounded a clearing filled with Shadow Clan. Glowing green glyphs lined the black stone ground, and green wisps floated through the air.

The Shadow Clan released Eli and Alana, and Alana almost fell to the ground, but Eli helped her catch her balance.

"Thanks," she muttered as she held her head. "Still a little drained."

Eli nodded, looking up as the Shadow Clan parted. The leader walked up to the two young slingers, looking down coldly. Eli unclipped the shadow talker from his belt and set it on his head. He hissed and screwed his eyes shut, tensing for a moment before blinking rapidly and looking up at the Shadow Clan.

"Son of Will Shane. We sensed the disturbance created by your weapon," the leader said accusingly. "It is reckless to combine two slugs whose auras are not aligned."

"What? Aligned, auras?" Eli asked. "Wait, so you know why the double barrel didn't work? You've got to tell me so I can use it to stop Blakk!"

"There is no tell. You either see, or you do not," the leader hissed, turning away.

"See what? All I saw were two slugs combined to do something really cool. Then things went kinda haywire," Eli admitted. The Shadow Clan next to him stepped forward.

"An improper combination of slugs can have severe, devastating effects," he explained, gesturing to Alana.

"Like causing the slug energy in the area to short out," Eli said, giving Alana another apologetic look.

"That is but one danger. There are others, far worse," the leader warned.

"Then wouldn't it make sense to teach Eli how to use it? To...to make sure this doesn't happen again?" Alana asked, trying not to flinch under the Shadow Clan leader's stare when she remembered the last time she'd seen him.

"Please," Eli said. "Blakk has a new weapon. You've seen it. He's using it to take whatever he wants, and no one can stop him. You've gotta show me how to combine my slugs so I can."

The Shadow Clan around the two slingers began hissing and thrashing their tails. Alana leaned over to Eli.

"Maybe watch your volume when you're talking to the leader of a historically violent species," she breathed. He sighed and turned away from the Shadow Clan, and Alana was forced to as well, still leaning on his shoulder for support.

"Fine," he said. "My friends are out there right now trying to stop Blakk. If you won't help me, I'll just have to figure it out myself."

But the Shadow Clan lurched forward, blocking Eli and Alana.

"If you insist on using this weapon, you must prove to us you can master it," the leader said. "No matter how long that takes."

Eli's eyes widened.

"What? No!" he protested. "My friends are in danger. So unless someone here thinks they can stop me-"

"I'm about to if you don't stop right now," Alana whispered, looking around worriedly as the Shadow Clan around them hissed angrily.

"Okay then," Eli said nervously, eyeing the crowd of Shadow Clan around them.

Two Shadow Clan escorted Eli to the edge of the clearing, where he sat down and began unloading his slugs in the hopes of finding an answer. Once he was gone, the Shadow Clan leader approached Alana, who had resorted to supporting herself on a stone at the edge of the clearing.

When he approached, Alana sighed and opened her mouth to speak, but the leader cut her off.

"We are bringing Fandangos that will restore your energy. After that, we can talk," he said calmly. Alana nodded, sinking down to the ground and leaning her back against the mushroom tree. A few moments later, a Shadow Clan shadow traveled next to her, holding two Fandangos in each hand. He and the leader each loaded a slug into their tails, along with two more Shadow Clan. They backed away from Alana, and she closed her eyes as they fired in unison.

Almost immediately, she felt better. The Fandangos spiraled around her, filling her with warmth. She felt her light energy pulse, and she could move all her muscles again. Her senses seemed to sharpen, and when she opened her eyes, it felt like she'd gotten a full night's sleep.

"Thank you," she said, getting to her feet as the Fandangos returned to protoform. The three Shadow Clan each nodded, leaving Alana and the leader alone. Alana wrung her hands for a moment.

"I'm sorry for leaving the way I did. You were trying to warn me. And you were right," she said, looking nervously up at the leader. "It was so much. And I understand why you and Will kept it from me."

The Shadow Clan nodded.

"It is much for someone so young. Perhaps you may be able to learn from your memories," he said. Then he glanced at the single red streak in Alana's hair. "I see much happened after your visit."

Alana raised a hand to the scarlet.

"Yeah, you could say that. I came into contact with a lot of dark energy," she said. She hesitated, then asked, "I- well- do you know what would've happened if Dana had succeeded? If that corrupted girl from the train had ghouled me?"

The leader shifted his weight uncomfortably, flicking his tail.

"It is uncertain. Without anyone else with connections to the West, or your family, we cannot know about how your energy can be manipulated. You may have been ghouled, or simply died," he said. "The same may be said if more and more slugs are corrupted."

"Let's just... not let it get that far, then," Alana interrupted. She didn't want to know what fate awaited her if they lost. "We're going to defeat Blakk."

The leader hesitated, but nodded.

"Very well. I must go now to speak with the Shane," the leader said, gesturing back towards the clearing. "I request that you remain here."

Alana wanted to argue, to go see if she could help Eli. But she knew it was a lost cause, so she nodded and sat back down, holding Ash in her hands and rubbing his head absentmindedly while the leader went back to the clearing.

Part of her wanted to ask more about her energy. If her energy could be corrupted, what would happen if a majority of slugs were ghouled, or if she was instead directly corrupted with dark water?

But she didn't need any more fear in her head. So she'd just be determined to make sure that Blakk wasn't successful.

Nearly twenty minutes later, Alana bearly jumped up when she felt a burst of energy from the clearing. A few moments later, she looked up to see Eli approaching her, an excited smile on his face and the Enigmo in his hands. She got to her feet.

"Did you figure it out?" she asked. He nodded.

"It was the Enigmo. The vision he gives you- it allows you to see slugs' auras," he explained. "I can see which ones match. I just tested it with a Thresher and a Forgesmelter. We're ready to take on Blakk."

~~~~~~~~

The Shadow Clan teleported Eli and Alana to where they could feel the presence of Blakk's ghouls- Lumino Cavern.

"So what exactly is the plan here?" Alana asked once the Shadow Clan teleported away, leaving them in a small tunnel that led to the cavern.

"Whatever Blakk has planned for Lumino, he won't care about the people. Can you work on defending them while I draw his fire long enough for the double barrel to recharge?" Eli asked. Alana nodded.

"You bet. Hopefully the rest of the gang shows up soon," she said as the two reached the end of the tunnel. The red-brown rock around them opened up to the entrance of Lumino Cavern, a large clearing with Lumino crystals of all colors growing up from the ground, rocks, and ceiling. In the distance, she could see homes glowing faintly in the Lumino light.

But gathered in front of the train rails was a crowd of miners, all quivering in fear as Blakk aimed the gattler towards them.

"I'll try to sneak down the cliffside, just to keep out of Blakk's sight, but Dana will sense me pretty quickly," Alana said quietly. "You sure you can keep Blakk distracted without getting into trouble?"

"C'mon, it's me," Eli said, loading a Tazerling. Alana laughed.

"Right," she said. "Just don't die."

"Ditto."

With that, Eli raised his blaster and fired Joules, drawing the attention of everyone down below. Alana began to run and skid down the ledge, rushing to the miners. By the time she reached the ground, Blakk's workers opened fire on Eli, who worked on making his way down and headed for the train.

"He's not alone!" Dana suddenly yelled out. Alana rolled her eyes and grabbed her blaster. Dana looked around for a moment and scowled when she saw Alana approaching the crowd of miners. "There!"

She and two ghoulslingers raised their blasters, aiming for Alana.

"You need to get somewhere safe, now," Alana said to the miners, reaching for her blaster. Dana smirked and changed her aim, firing a Grimmstone at one of the miners.

Alana dove forward, firing her Frostcrawler and freezing the ghoul before it could hit the miner. Immediately, the group scattered, taking their cue to leave.

"Get away from the mines!" Alana ordered, firing Ash at a pair of Hop Jacks fired by the ghoulslingers.

"Of course the Shadow Clan have taken a liking to you!" Dana snapped as she fired an Amperling. Alana jumped back, barely avoiding the electricity it fired. "They hate me, as you can probably tell. They hate that a person can possess such power."

"They hate that a person can grow so corrupted," Alana corrected, firing a Dirt Urchin. One of the spikes hit a ghoulslinger in the shoulder, knocking him back and over the other side of the train.

Dana fired a Briardrill, and Alana remembered when she'd been caught by the same ghoul during the heist with Sam.

Not this time, she thought, smiling as she leapt away from the thorny vines and fired Ash at them. Immediately, the vines caught fire, shriveling up into ashes. Alana fired her Armashelt, but Dana fired a Pyringo that let out a flame and knocked the slug out of the air. The ghoulslinger fired a Thrasher that barely missed Alana, who fired her Phosphoro. The blue and green slug let off small fireworks that blinded the worker, sending him to the ground as he rubbed at his eyes.

"Just you and me," Alana called up to Dana, who narrowed her scarlet eyes and raised her blaster.

But before either could fire, they both felt a wave of energy.

They turned in unison, and while Alana's eyes widened in awe and excitement, Dana's widened in fear.

A fusion shot was barreling toward the train. A Thresher and a Forgesmelter, spinning and spitting out lava and sparks. When the fusion reached the train, it barely even slowed down. The superheated Thresher blades sliced through the metal train with ease, melting the metal it touched.

Dana gasped and glanced at Alana, hesitating before jumping off the other side of the train before she could be cut by the fusion. Alana sighed and holstered her blaster, running toward the end of the train as the fusion reached the front of the engine car, leaving the machine a melted mess.

Eli and the rest of the gang stood at the end of the train, all marveling over the fusion.

"That was... wow," Alana laughed when she reached them. "Just wow."

"I know," Eli laughed, looking at the double-barreled blaster he held in his hands. "We've got something that can stand up to the gattler, and anything else Blakk throws our way."

"I still wonder how Blakk was able to get so much ammo, though," Kord noted. Alana sighed.

"I think I might know," she said. "What if it's Dana? She's infused with dark energy, so maybe she can use it to corrupt the slugs?"

"If that's the case, can you use your light to cure them?" Trixie asked.

"I don't know," Alana admitted. "But... it's kind of like ghouling slugs. A ghoul is more powerful than its slug counterpart, right? Dana has stronger powers than me, but just like the ghouls, it's harder to control. She might be able to do things I can't."

Alana must have looked worried, because Trixie rested a had on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. I'd rather have you over Dana any day," she said. Alana smiled.

"Thanks. Now," she said, turning and glancing at the semi-melted train behind them, "I think we should get going before they regroup. Blakk's not gonna be happy about that."

~~~~~~~~

That evening, Dana found herself sitting in the citadel's laboratory, a slug carrier on the floor next to her, filled with slugs who had long since gone silent with fear.

Two slug tubes sat on the table in front of her, holding a Rammstone and a Jellyish. They were both visibly shaking, looking up at her in terror. She didn't care.

After taking a deep breath, Dana held out her hands, closing her eyes. She focused on the dark energy inside her, pulling forward some of the power from its constant turmoil. She felt the iciness rish up to her fingertips, and when she opened her eyes, her hands were faintly glowing scarlet.

Dana smirked and held them to either side of the two slug tubes, focusing on the energies of the slugs and willing hers to overcome the light. Her hands trembled as she felt the dark energy poke and stab at the slugs, corrupting their energy and changing them. There was a small red flash, and Dana sighed and leaned back in her seat, taking deep breaths. It was draining work...

But when the light cleared and she saw the two ghouls sitting in front of her, she thought, it's worth it.

Then she felt a presence of dark energy nearing the lab. Before she could do anything, the door swung open, and in stepped a tall, deathly pale creature with black hair and piercing red eyes. He had a permanent scowl on his face, and it twisted into an amused smile as he walked down the rows of lab tables, looking at Dana.

"Diablos Nacho," she said coldly, crossing her arms and watching as Nacho glanced down at the ghouls in front of him. "I didn't think you would show up again."

"I've returned to make sure Blakk upholds his deal," Nacho replied. "And to make sure none of you Slugterrans are getting cold feet."

Dana laughed, picking up one of the slug tubes and showing him the ghoul inside.

"Believe me," she said with a grin. "I'm not."